Baku Summer Energy School 2016

The Caspian Center for Energy and Environment of ADA University successfully completed its 10th anniversary Baku Summer Energy School, held during July 10-22, 2016. The annual two-week certificate program for mid-career energy professionals, organized in partnership with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), with the sponsorships of British Petroleum in Azerbaijan and ExxonMobil, brought together 46 participants. This year’s cohort was selected from among 180 applicants and represented 17 countries. They included PhD and Masters students (from McGill University, Sciences Po Paris, Texas A&M University, and others), governmental officials, diplomats (from Israel and Guyana) and executives from the private sector (including SOCAR, BP, BOTAS, etc).

In addition to regional pipeline and energy security developments, participants became acquainted with a wide range of issues such as the fundamentals of energy, energy law and economics, environmental impacts, management in oil and gas industry, and the strategic outlook of national and international energy companies. The participants also took part in practical sessions, such as “Historical Milestones in the Development of the Caspian Hydrocarbon Resources” and “The Effect of the Global Climate Change on the Caspian Basin”.

The participants had a chance to discuss challenging issues with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Energy, and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, who were key speakers along with executives from companies such as SOCAR, ExxonMobil, TAP, and BP. Leading academic experts from John Hopkins University, Georgetown University, Ilia State University, Atlantic Council, and Michigan State University complemented the list of instructors.

In addition to the intensive academic focus of the program, participants enjoyed recreational opportunities and unique site visits connected to Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industry of the past and present, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the Sangachal oil terminal, etc.

This year’s participants were especially fortunate, as on the occasion of the program’s 10th anniversary, graduates received a certificate worth the equivalent of 3 ECTS, confirming and acknowledging their academic success. This year also saw our sponsorship list expand to include BP in Azerbaijan, which also funded ten scholarships, both full and partial ones. On the media side, Natural Gas Europe became a media sponsor of the program. The program is open for academic, media and scholarship sponsorships.

Upon completion of the program, participants filled out evaluation forms, and were awarded certificates signed by Ambassador Hafiz Pashayev, Rector of ADA University, and Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan.